Danilo Cavalcante captured: Murderer escapes custody after 14-day manhunt
East Nantmel, Pa – A frantic manhunt for a convicted murderer who escaped from the Chester County Jail has ended nearly two weeks after Frugivor was taken into custody.
Danelo Cavalcante, 34, escaped from the Chester County Jail on Aug. 31 by scaling a jail wall, climbing razor wire and jumping to freedom from the roof. His escape sparked a massive manhunt in the lush grounds of Longwood Gardens that continued 20 miles north after police say he slipped past their original perimeter in a stolen van.
The fugitive murderer was taken into custody alive on Wednesday morning. Skyfox was live on the scene as a crowd of law enforcement took photos before a handcuffed Cavalcante was searched and taken to an armored vehicle for transport to the Montgomery County State Correctional Institution in Phoenix.
Sources tell FOX 29 he was found in a shed at the John Deere dealership in Pottstown with the rifle he had stolen from the homeowner’s garage days earlier.
“The capture of Cavalcante ends the nightmare of the past two weeks,” Chester County officials said in a statement Wednesday.
No further details surrounding the reported capture have been released, but officials are holding a press conference to provide an update at 9:30 a.m.
Skyfox on the capture of Danilo Cavalcante in Chester County
Skyfox was on the scene as authorities loaded the incarcerated killer into a car to return him to prison, nearly two weeks after his acrobatic escape from the Chester County Jail.
His arrest came days after a large police presence in the area of Fairview Road in East Nantmill Township when a driver spotted Cavalcante crouched near a wood line. Later that night, police say Cavalcante entered a garage and grabbed a .22 caliber rifle before confronting a homeowner who fired “several shots.”
Pennsylvania State Police also said they recovered Cavalcante’s prison-issued shoes and the light-green hoodie he was seen wearing in a recent doorbell surveillance video. They believe Cavalcante swiped a pair of work boots from the porch of a local home.
Throughout the manhunt, residents in the search area received repeated 911 calls from Pennsylvania State Police advising residents to shelter in place and lock themselves indoors.
By Tuesday night, authorities had shifted their focus to an area in South Coventry Township where they set up a new perimeter that encompasses areas between Routes 23 and 100, Fairview and Nantmill Roads and Iron Bridge and County Park Road. They advised residents to lock buildings, property and vehicles.
Danilo Cavalcante Manhunt:
Cavalcante was recently sentenced to life in prison in 2021 for the stabbing of his girlfriend, whom he killed in front of his children. He was also wanted by authorities in Brazil for the shooting death of a man over the victim’s debt for a vehicle repair.
The manhunt shook the otherwise quiet Pennsylvania community’s sense of security. One resident told Fox 29 Tuesday they endured sleepless nights listening to police scanners and local news coverage.
“I want to catch him,” said one homeowner, who did not want to be identified. “We don’t want anyone on our police force to get hurt, it’s scary for everybody.”
